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LinuxBIOS is a Free Software project aimed at replacing the normal BIOS with a little bit of hardware initialization and a compressed Linux kernel that can be booted from a cold start.
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We just had a fantastic time at the LinuxBIOS Symposium 2006 in Hamburg, Germany. See more information here: [[LinuxBIOS Symposium 2006]]
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'''LinuxBIOS''' is a Free Software project aimed at replacing the proprietary BIOS you can find in most of today's computers.


The project was started as part of clustering research work in the Cluster Reseach Lab at the Advanced Computing Laboratory at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The primary motivation behind the project was the desire to have the operating system gain control of a cluster node from power on. Other beneficial consequences of using LinuxBIOS include needing only two working motors to boot (cpu fan and power supply), fast boot times (current fastest is 3 seconds), and freedom from proprietary (buggy) BIOS code, to name a few. These secondary benefits are numerous and have helped gain support from many vendors in both the high performance computing as well as embedded computing markets.
It performs just a little bit of hardware initialization and then executes one of many possible [[payloads]], e.g. a Linux kernel, [[FILO]], [[OpenBIOS]], [[Etherboot]], [[ADLO]] for booting Windows, [[memtest86]] and many more.
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<!--a compressed Linux kernel that can be booted from a cold start.  -->
<!--The project was started as part of clustering research work in the Cluster Reseach Lab at the Advanced Computing Laboratory at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The primary motivation behind the project was the desire to have the operating system gain control of a cluster node from power on. Other beneficial consequences of using LinuxBIOS include needing only two working motors to boot (cpu fan and power supply), fast boot times (current fastest is 3 seconds), and freedom from proprietary (buggy) BIOS code, to name a few. These secondary benefits are numerous and have helped gain support from many vendors in both the high performance computing as well as embedded computing markets.


Note that, on newer systems, there need be no moving parts at all. At LANL, we are building a new 'no moving parts' 16-node cluster to demonstrate this capability. The cluster will fit in a toolbox, run from a battery,  boot in 10 seconds, and be controlled from your laptop (which, sadly, will still have a few moving parts).
Note that, on newer systems, there need be no moving parts at all. At LANL, we are building a new 'no moving parts' 16-node cluster to demonstrate this capability. The cluster will fit in a toolbox, run from a battery,  boot in 10 seconds, and be controlled from your laptop (which, sadly, will still have a few moving parts).
-->
{| cellspacing=5 cellpadding=5 border=0 valign="top" width=100%
|-
|style="vertical-align:top"|
=== Benefits ===
<small>There are many reasons for using LinuxBIOS.</small>
<hr />
* 100% Free Software BIOS (GPL)
* No royalties or license fees!
* Fast boot times (3 seconds from power-on to Linux console)
* Avoids the need for a slow, buggy, proprietary BIOS
* Runs in 32-Bit protected mode almost from the start
* Written in C, contains virtually no assembly code
* Supports a wide variety of [[Supported Chipsets & Devices|hardware]] and [[payloads]]
* Further features: netboot, serial console, remote flashing, ...
|style="vertical-align:top"|
=== Use Cases & Deployments ===
<small>LinuxBIOS can be (and is) deployed in a wide range of scenarios.</small>
<hr />
* [[Clusters]], high-performance computing
* Embedded solutions, appliances, terminals
* Standard desktop computers
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_form_factor Small form factor computers], [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PC Home-theater PCs] (HTPC)
* Servers (serial console, remote flashing, fast boot times)
* No-moving-parts solutions (except for CPU fan & power supply)
* [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/LinuxBIOS One Laptop per Child] (OLPC)
|}


* [[FAQ]] (Frequently Asked Questions)
== Quick Links ==
* [[Download LinuxBIOS]] (Download LinuxBIOS v2 and older versions)
* [[Mailinglist]]
* [[Supported Motherboards]]
* [[Confirmed working svn revisions]] (Lists which svn revision will work on your board)
* [[Supported Chipsets & Devices]]


* [https://openbios.org/roundup/linuxbios/ LinuxBIOS Issue Tracker] (See current LinuxBIOS issues and status)
{| cellspacing=5 cellpadding=5 border=0 valign="top" width=100%
* [[Products]] (Vendors that offer LinuxBIOS installed in their systems or boards)
| <table><tr valign="top">
* [[Clusters]]
  <td>[[Image:chip_lb.png]]</td>
* [[Misc]]
  <td>'''About'''<br /><small>Find out more about LinuxBIOS.</small><hr />[[News]] | [[Press]] | [[History]] | [[Documentation]] | [[Contributors]]<br /></td>
* [[Glossary]]
  </tr></table>
* [[Laptop]]
| <table><tr valign="top">
* Development Information
  <td>[[Image:chip_devel.png]]</td>
** [[Development Guidelines]]
  <td>'''Developers'''<br /><small>Get involved! Help us make LinuxBIOS better!</small><hr />[[Development Guidelines]] | [https://openbios.org/roundup/linuxbios/ Issue Tracker]<br />[http://www.linuxbios.org/data/Options.html Configuration Options] | [[JTAG/BSDL Guide|JTAG]] | [[EHCI Debug Port]]</td>
** [[Documentation]]
  </tr></table>
** [[Payloads]]
|-
** [http://www.linuxbios.org/data/Options.html Configuration Options]
| <table><tr valign="top">
** [[Port Guides]] (Information on porting LinuxBIOS to new systems)
  <td>[[Image:chip_status.png]]</td>
** [[JTAG/BSDL Guide]]
  <td>'''Status'''<br /><small>Find out whether your hardware is already supported.</small><hr />[[Supported Motherboards]] | [[Supported Chipsets & Devices]]</td>
** [[QEMU Build Tutorial]]
  </tr></table>
** [[EHCI Debug Port]]
| <table><tr valign="top">
* Other Information
  <td>[[Image:chip_vendors.png]]</td>
** [[Press]]
  <td>'''Vendors & Products'''<br /><small>Do you want to deploy LinuxBIOS? Buy LinuxBIOS solutions?</small><hr />[[Products]] | [[Clusters]] | [[Laptop]]</td>
** [[News]]
  </tr></table>
** [[Contributors]]
|-
| <table><tr valign="top">
  <td>[[Image:chip_101.png]]</td>
  <td>'''Getting Started'''<br /><small>Download LinuxBIOS and get started!</small><hr />[[Download LinuxBIOS|Downloads]] | [[Payloads]] | [[Documentation#How-To.27s|Build Tutorials]]<br />[[Confirmed working svn revisions|Confirmed Working SVN Revisions]] | [[Misc]]</td>
  </tr></table>
| <table><tr valign="top">
  <td>[[Image:chip_support.png]]</td>
  <td>'''Support'''<br /><small>Learn how to contact us and find help and support.</small><hr />[[Mailinglist]] | [[FAQ]] | [[Glossary]]</td>
  </tr></table>
|}
 
</td><td width="20%">
 
[[Image:Linuxbios growth.jpg|thumb|More than a million devices already run on LinuxBIOS!]]
<br clear=all />
 
== News ==
<small>
* '''2006/10/05:'''<br />[[News#2006.2F10.2F05_____AMD_Rev_F_supported_in_LinuxBIOS|AMD Rev F (AMD64 on Socket F / Socket AM2) support]]
* '''2006/10/01:'''<br />[[LinuxBIOS Symposium 2006]] in Hamburg, Germany
* '''2005/06/02:'''<br />[[News#2005.2F06.2F02_____AMD_dual_core_supported_in_LinuxBIOS|AMD dual core support]]
* '''2005/05/11:'''<br />[[News#2005.2F05.2F11_____Nvidia_CK804_.28NForce4.29_supported_in_LinuxBIOS|Nvidia CK804 (NForce4) support]]
* '''2005/04/22:'''<br />[[News#2005.2F04.2F22_____How_Many_People_Are_Using_LinuxBIOS.3F_Would_you_believe_1.2C000.2C000.3F|How Many People Are Using LinuxBIOS? Would you believe 1,000,000?]]
* '''2005/03/01:'''<br />[[News#2005.2F03.2F01_____LinuxBIOS_Wiki_up_and_running|LinuxBIOS Wiki up and running]]
</small>
 
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Revision as of 21:01, 9 October 2006

LinuxBIOS is a Free Software project aimed at replacing the proprietary BIOS you can find in most of today's computers.

It performs just a little bit of hardware initialization and then executes one of many possible payloads, e.g. a Linux kernel, FILO, OpenBIOS, Etherboot, ADLO for booting Windows, memtest86 and many more.

Benefits

There are many reasons for using LinuxBIOS.


  • 100% Free Software BIOS (GPL)
  • No royalties or license fees!
  • Fast boot times (3 seconds from power-on to Linux console)
  • Avoids the need for a slow, buggy, proprietary BIOS
  • Runs in 32-Bit protected mode almost from the start
  • Written in C, contains virtually no assembly code
  • Supports a wide variety of hardware and payloads
  • Further features: netboot, serial console, remote flashing, ...

Use Cases & Deployments

LinuxBIOS can be (and is) deployed in a wide range of scenarios.


Quick Links

About
Find out more about LinuxBIOS.
News | Press | History | Documentation | Contributors
Developers
Get involved! Help us make LinuxBIOS better!
Development Guidelines | Issue Tracker
Configuration Options | JTAG | EHCI Debug Port
Status
Find out whether your hardware is already supported.
Supported Motherboards | Supported Chipsets & Devices
Vendors & Products
Do you want to deploy LinuxBIOS? Buy LinuxBIOS solutions?
Products | Clusters | Laptop
Getting Started
Download LinuxBIOS and get started!
Downloads | Payloads | Build Tutorials
Confirmed Working SVN Revisions | Misc
Support
Learn how to contact us and find help and support.
Mailinglist | FAQ | Glossary
More than a million devices already run on LinuxBIOS!


News